Seven Days of Television: August 25 to August 31
A select viewing guide to the next seven days of television
MONDAY AUGUST 25 The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards (NBC, CTV, 8 p.m.) All eyes will be on Seth Meyers tonight. The former Saturday Night Live fixture and more recent late-night talk arrival will host the annual TV awards hoedown for the first time (thank you NBC synergy) and he’s either going to knock it out of the park or be eviscerated by critics on Tuesday morning. HBO’s lofty fantasy drama Game of Thrones leads the pack with 19 Emmy nominations – including a nod for best Series - followed by Fargo (18), American Horror Story: Coven (17) and Breaking Bad (16). Regardless of who takes home the most trophies, there won’t be a dry eye in the house when Billy Crystal delivers the tribute to his longtime friend and comedy colleague Robin Williams.
TUESDAY AUGUST 26 Holmes Makes It Right (HGTV, 9 p.m.) Nothing rubs Mike Holmes the wrong way like a renovation job done wrong. And you can tell the burly Canuck contractor really cares when he comes to the rescue of luckless homeowners in this smart series. The third-season opener tells the shocking story of a woman who passed away due to mold in her lungs shortly after working in her attic. A respectable period of time later, the woman’s life-partner reaches out to the big man to investigate the issue and hopefully make the home safe and livable for their remaining family. As he does, Holmes makes it right.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27 Legends (Bravo!, 9 p.m.) At long last, Sean Bean has a role that doesn’t require him to wear a breastplate or leggings. Following memorable character turns in Lord of the Rings and, more recently, Game of Thrones, the sturdy English actor commands attention in this new series as FBI agent Martin Odum, whose specialty involves morphing himself into a different personality for each and every mission. As might be expected, Martin is terrific at his job but a hot mess in his personal life, which includes a shrewish ex-wife (Amber Valletta) and a young son who hardly knows him. All told, the show is fairly predictable spy-guy fare, but Mr. Bean makes it work.
THURSDAY AUGUST 28 Online Dating Rituals of the American Male (Slice, 9 p.m.) In the immortal words of Dean Martin: Everybody loves somebody sometime - and these days a good deal of that lovin’ is arranged online. From the U.S. Bravo network, this love-connection reality series scores points for its brisk pace and the selection of single (mostly white) males looking for everything from a one-night stand to a genuine soul mate on the Internet. In the opener, a young Texan named Alex seeks a hot romp but is almost disappointed when he ends up with a potential soul mate, while the slightly older divorcee named Marcus wants to find that special someone, but he’s terrified of getting his heart broken all over again. Hey, just like Pat Benatar taught us: Love is a battlefield.
FRIDAY AUGUST 29 Avalanche Sharks (Showcase, 8 p.m.) For those viewers counting down the days to the arrival of Sharknado 3, fill your schlock-void with this TV-movie that also received its first airing on the U.S. SyFy channel. Featuring a startlingly generic cast (the biggest names are Canadian actress Gina Holden and former Penthouse Pet Emily Addison), the story takes place at the fictional Twin Pines Ski Resort, where an avalanche somehow awakens a prehistoric “snow shark” trapped underground for centuries. As luck would have it, the snow sharks show up on the resort’s annual Bikini Snow Day event and before you know it there are sharks gobbling up scantily-clad snow bunnies and feasting on skiers and snowboarders. So bad it’s brilliant.
SATURDAY AUGUST 30 My Mother Diana (CBC News Network, 10 p.m.) Prepare to see the marriage of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana in a whole new light. This intriguing documentary shows how the former royal couple’s ill-fated marriage fully shaped the identity of their son William, who by this point appears a more likely candidate to become the King of England than his father. In the course of interviews with former Kensington Palace staffers and monarchy-watchers, the film shows how Diana’s charitable nature lives on through her eldest son and attempts to answer the question: Why did William propose to future bride Kate Middleton with his late mother’s engagement ring?
SUNDAY AUGUST 31 Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity (Comedy Network, 9 p.m.) Hats off to Canadian comedy superstar Seth Rogen for organizing and hosting this gala taped earlier this summer at Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival (with proceeds going to Alzheimer’s research, support and awareness). The loose format features stage turns from noted standup comics like Al Madrigal, Jim Norton and Michelle Wolf, but the crowd saves its biggest cheers for the appearance of Montreal Canadiens’ star P.K. Subban and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt – especially when he croons the Jacques Brel song La Vaise a Mille Temps in letter-perfect French. Zut alors!